Laser catheter systems have been proposed which incorporate an optical fiber assembly to conduct laser energy from a remote location to the area to be lased through an otherwise conventional catheter. In one proposed application of such an apparatus, a laser angioplasty catheter houses an optical fiber for lasing a channel through an artery.
While such systems were initially believed to hold promise, they were later seen to have important limitations. Among these limitations was the inability to direct the energy to an exact location to be dissolved, with the result that damage could be sustained by the artery wall due to misdirected radiation. Additionally, the means of attaching the lens to the fiber had an important effect on the probability that the lens would become dislodged, damaged or misaligned from handling on its passage through the artery.
These same limitations were perceived to be important to other internal laser surgery systems, especially those which must be maneuvered within a patient's vasculature. These limitations are particularly important for systems which are not easily maneuvered by direct observations of the surgeon and which must therefore be capable of predictable direction through remote manipulation.
There remains, therefore, a need for a structure adaptable to a laser catheter system that allows the accurate direction of laser energy to a particular area and reduces the chance of damage to the patient from dislodging or disintegrating of the lens end of the optical fiber. It would also be beneficial if such a system could easily be combined with catheter configurations that could be used for a variety of procedures that incorporate the use of remotely directed laser energy.
Broadly, it is the object of the present invention to provide an improved optical fiber apparatus.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an optical fiber apparatus which can direct laser radiation to a desired location.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an optical fiber apparatus which can be shaped into a desired configuration.
It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide an optical fiber apparatus which provides a strengthened attachment of a lens to an optical fiber.
These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings.